The results of the 1st phase of the National Competition for Access to Higher Education (CNA), released yesterday, show that the University of the Azores (UAc) filled 87% of the places available.

According to UAc, 1609 students applied to the University of the Azores for 609 places; and 531 candidates were placed, 98% of whom chose UAc as their first choice. In other words, 78 places remained unfilled, two more than last year, even though fewer were offered than last year (632).

Two of the University of the Azores’ organic units filled all the vacancies: the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and the School of Health. According to the UAc, 13 courses filled all their vacancies: Basic Cycle Medicine, Communication and Public Relations, Basic Education, Nursing (Angra do Heroísmo); Nursing (Ponta Delgada), European Studies, Portuguese and English Studies, History, Veterinary Medicine (Preparatory), Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Tourism. The Biology and Management courses filled 93% and 90% of their places, respectively.

For the second phase of the competition that will now follow, the courses with the most places available are Agricultural Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Economics, Technology, Nature and Heritage, and Civil Protection and Risk Management.

According to the UAc, there was an increase in the mark of the last-placed student in the 1st phase in 12 courses offered by the University of the Azores. This year, the highest mark for access to the University of the Azores is 18.64 for a student placed on the Degree in Portuguese and English Studies. Also, in the Basic Cycle of Medicine, Social Work, and Engineering Sciences, the grade of the first-placed student was higher than 18. In addition, in the Psychology, Management, Civil Protection and Risk Management, and Basic Education courses, the 1st placemark was over 17 points. Portuga uses a point system instead of a letter grade, with a perfect score being 20. So an 18 would be somewhere along an A- or B+.

Across all of Portugal, almost 50,000 students were placed in the first phase of the competition, a figure slightly lower than last year but representing the entry of 84% of candidates. Of the 59,073 students who applied, 49,438 were placed, 0.7% less than in the same phase of last year’s competition, according to data released by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

California State University, Fresno, has a memorandum of understanding with the University of the Azores. It is a unique one-month internship, where 4 students from the Azres spent one month at the Jordan College fo Agricultural Science and Technology, and four Fresno State students also spent a month at the University of the Azores. This program, in the past, has been sponsored by FLAD, and it is also sponsored by the Mayor’s Office in Angra, the Tulare-Angra Sister City Foundation, Helder and Cindy Domingos, and this year with a grant from the Grupo Aposento from Turlock.

From a news report by journalist Paula Gouveia, Açoriano Oriental newspaper, Paulo Simões, director.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Medial Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno.